Popcorn is one of the most universally consumed snacks. Conventional methods for preparing popcorn have utilized heated oil, microwave heating or heated air as the heating medium. One benefit of utilizing heated air is that the popcorn can control the addition of any extra calories or fat as no oil is utilized in the popping process and the addition of butter and/or other flavors or toppings can be accomplished after the popping process is completed.
One disadvantage of utilizing heated air as the heating medium is the potential for unpopped kernels to be carried out of a heating zone by the heated air thus reducing yields of popped kernels. This is especially true with the various gourmet and premium popcorn kernels that have been developed for today's consumers. Generally, these gourmet and premium popcorn kernels, such as, for example, kernels sold under the Orville Redenbacher brand name, tend to be larger, thus resulting in larger popped kernels. While the larger kernels can result in a large, customer preferred popped kernels, they also require longer exposure to the heating medium to result in popping of the kernel. In poppers that utilize heated air as the heating medium, this can be problematic as the potential exists for unpopped kernels to be blown out of the popping environment before the kernels have been exposed to the heater air for a long enough time that the kernels pop.
Because popcorn poppers that utilize heated air as a medium have many advantages associated with ease of use and the ability to control the nutritional impact of the popcorn itself, it would be advantageous to find ways to increase the popping yield of kernels that are placed into such a popcorn popper.